Month: September 2022

The Week in Review: A Good Year to Have a Tough Horse

With undefeated phenom Flightline (Tapit) and sophomore star Epicenter (Not This Time) headlining a respectably deep GI Breeders' Cup Classic, one oft-repeated quip is that 2022 is turning out to be “a tough year to have a good horse” aiming for a divisional championship.

Yet a few rungs farther down the class ladder–more than a few, in truth–a blue-collar starter-allowance stalwart is tweaking that phrase so it better suits his grind-it-out style, proving that '22 is actually “a good year to have a tough horse.”

Last week at Churchill Downs, Beverly Park (Munnings) won his 11th race of the season in start number 23 on the year. Both those numbers are tops in North America; his next closest rivals have eight wins and 20 starts, respectively.

Emblematic of his speed-centric, hard-charging nature, the 5-year-old broke running in a 6 1/2-furlong $20,000 starter-allowance Sept. 21, took pressure at the rail in a three-way speed duel, then repulsed a deep-stretch threat to eke out a 3/4-length score under Rafael Bejarano for owner/trainer Norman Lynn Cash, whose horses race under the name Built Wright Stables.

Eleven wins and it's only the first week of autumn. For perspective, no North American Thoroughbred has won more than 12 races in an entire calendar year since 2011, when Rapid Redux ran the table with a gaudy 19-for-19 record. More than three full months of racing are left in '22.

In fact, by the time you read this, Beverly Park could well already be on the cusp of being entered for his next race.

Colleague Bill Finley profiled Cash's “throwback” operation in mid-May, when Beverly Park had racked up his first six wins of the year. After having owned racehorses in partnership with his wife, Lola, for about a decade, Cash took out his trainer's license in April 2021. He now runs a 40-head stable (split between Laurel Park in Maryland and the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Kentucky) on the theory that as long as horses show they can thrive on frequent racing, they'll be in the entry box.

Cash claimed Beverly Park for $12,500 out of a NW3L win at Belterra Park on Aug. 5, 2021, hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with a horse who had won his previous NW2L condition in his previous start at the $5,000 level by 15 lengths. That meant Beverly Park would be eligible for some lucrative starter-allowance spots. But because improved horses who once ran for low claiming tags generally scare away entrants for those restricted races, Beverly Park had to hit the road to extend his winning ways.

So far in '22, Beverly Park has raced at Oaklawn, Charles Town, Turfway, Laurel, Mahoning Valley, Keeneland, Monmouth, Belterra, Churchill, Thistledown, Delaware, Colonial and Timonium. In the 399-day span between Cash's claiming him and last week's win at Churchill,  Beverly Park is 18-for-31 with $424,024 in purse earnings. His lifetime record stands at 21-for-40.

Finally a favorite

The $200,000 Parx Dirt Mile doesn't yet have the status of a graded race, but Mind Control (Stay Thirsty) has made it worth watching the past two years on the GI Pennsylvania Derby Day undercard.

A tenacious middle-distance horse who is often perceived as having something to prove, Mind Control is known for clawing back leads when he appears hopelessly beaten (like in the '21 Parx Dirt Mile), and winning races by thinly sliced margins (of his 11 lifetime victories, two were by noses, three by heads, and one by a neck).

Something of a fan favorite, the Red Oak Stable and Madaket Stables colorbearer for trainer Todd Pletcher has not been a pari-mutuel darling: Going into Saturday's Parx Dirt Mile defense, Mind Control had started in 15 consecutive stakes, dating all the way back to  Mar. 7, 2020, without once being favored in the betting.

Although feats like this are difficult to pin down as actual “records” (help welcomed from anyone with a deep enough database), it's unlikely the sport has witnessed too many (if any) million-dollar-plus purse-earners competing strictly in stakes over a 2 1/2-year span without once going postward as the public's choice.

That changed Sept. 24, when Parx bettors installed Mind Control as the 3-5 choice for the Dirt Mile. The 6-year-old tracked the Pennsylvania-bred pacemaker Far Mo Power (Uncle Lino) every step of the trip before the dueling duo pulsed away from the pack on the far turn.

The 12-1 longshot and the odds-on favorite raced in lockstep and close quarters through the length of the lane, exchanging heads on the lead and some brief brushing, with the innermost Far Mo Power under Parx journeyman Dexter Haddock twice shifting outward toward Mind Control and Hall-of-Famer John Velazquez.

Under the wire, Far Mo Power prevailed by a neck, but the objection and inquiry signs soon blinked to life on the tote board. When the numbers stopped flashing, Mind Control was elevated as the winner, with Far Mo Power and jockey Dexter Haddock placed second for interference.

“My horse is a fighter but, when [Far Mo Power initially] came out and touched him, I was okay,” said Velazquez. “[Mind Control] got a little intimidated, but my horse got head and head with him again…. At the sixteenth pole [Haddock] hit [his mount] left-handed and he touched [Mind Control], kind of got him off balance. That really got my horse intimidated and off balance and I couldn't get back on it.”

Regardless of the stewards' reasoning for the DQ, it's difficult not to view the takedown through the eyes of the demoted connections.

Far Mo Power's owner, Joseph Sutton, has only started 18 horses lifetime with a two-horse stable, according to Equibase. Trainer Louis Linder Jr., has been conditioning for a decade, and has never won a stakes at the graded level. Haddock, riding since 2017, has a lone Grade III victory atop his riding resume, earned only last month. A win in a $200,000 race over their home track would have been a big deal for everyone involved, yet Far Mo Power's people were diplomatic in the aftermath of the outcome.

“That's horse racing,” said Linder. “It hurts, but we'll live to fight another day. From the minute this horse has been in the barn I knew he was special.”

Added Haddock: “My horse tried hard. I am sad. I get on him in the morning every day. I am sad for me. I am sad for the trainer.”

As for Mind Control, his win-via-DQ earned a 100 Beyer Speed Figure. After running the vast majority of his races around one turn, he has now earned his only three triple-digit Beyers in his only three two-turn races at a flat mile.

Perhaps those figures will stand him in good stead in the November renewal of the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Keeneland. A fever knocked Mind Control out of last year's Dirt Mile at Del Mar.

Midwest musings

It's a little early to get the crystal ball fired up to see what changes might affect regional racing calendars in 2023, but three separate news items from last week hinted at some subtle shifting in the Midwest.

The pending $79-million sale of Ellis Park to the gaming company Churchill Downs, Inc. (CDI), was greenlighted by the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission Sept. 20. Although Ellis is scheduled to race essentially the same block of 24 dates next year over the same summer template, CDI will naturally want to put its own stamp on operations there. Considering the deal was in large part billed as a way to shore up year-round racing in Kentucky, you can bet that the new management will be making a sizable push to recruit and retain outfits that might have traditionally raced elsewhere.

Meanwhile, on Sept. 22, Hawthorne Race Course was granted a slate of '23 dates by the Illinois Racing Board that will return a summer Thoroughbred season to greater Chicago after a one-year absence in the aftermath of the sudden and permanent closure of Arlington International Racecourse. Hawthorne will race Saturdays and Sundays Mar. 4-June 3, then add Wednesdays through Sept. 4.

That schedule could put a downstate squeeze on the former Fairmount Park, which is now known as FanDuel Sportsbook and Horse Racing. Those two Illinois tracks have some overlap at the lower end of the class hierarchy, and with FanDuel's Tuesdays/Saturdays schedule from Apr. 18-Nov. 18, there will be conflicting summer Saturdays within the state.

Another wild card in the Midwest mix is Canterbury Park up in Minnesota. Despite ending its 64-date season Sept. 17 with a reported record total handle rise to $97.6 million, Canterbury faces an uncertain future because a 10-year agreement between the track and the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (that provides purse funding in exchange for the track and horsemen not pursuing additional forms of gambling) is set to expire Dec. 31.

Andrew Offerman, Canterbury's senior vice president of racing, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune the day after the meet ended that the '23 schedule will depend on how much purse money is available. The Tribune reported that Canterbury paid $15.7 million in purses this season, with $7.28 million coming from the purse-enhancement agreement.

Less purse money likely would mean fewer racing days next summer, Offerman told the Tribune, adding that Canterbury might consider running three days per week instead of four.

The post The Week in Review: A Good Year to Have a Tough Horse appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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‘He’s Exactly What You Want In A Horse’: New York-Bred Course Record-Setter City Man Source Of Pride For Off The Hook

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Peter Searles and Patty Searles' City Man has become a New York fan favorite, garnering stakes victories in each of his four years of training. The graded-stakes winning Empire State-bred added to his accomplishments on Saturday, setting a course record in the nine-furlong $125,000 Ashley T. Cole at the Belmont at the Big A fall meet.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the 5-year-old son of Mucho Macho Man completed the 1 1/8 miles over Aqueduct's firm outer turf in 1:46.95, while earning his sixth career stakes victory. The winning effort registered a 96 Beyer Speed Figure and enhanced his lifetime earnings to $761,800.

Clement said City Man could target the $200,000 Mohawk going 1 1/16 miles against fellow state-breds on October 30 during the Belmont at the Big A fall meet. He finished third to Somelikeithotbrown in last year's running of the Mohawk.

“He came out of his race in good shape. He was impressive yesterday,” Clement said. “There are a few stakes in New York for him. The Mohawk could be the goal. We'll see how he's doing.”

City Man's Ashley T. Cole coup came only 19 days following a late closing second in the Grade 3 Bernard Baruch at Saratoga Race Course. He commenced the 2022 Saratoga meet with his biggest victory to date, defeating open company in the Grade 3 Forbidden Apple on July 15 to produce a career-best 104 Beyer.

“That's what good horses do, they overcome things,” Clement said.

City Man has garnered six stakes triumphs through a career that dates back to his 2-year-old campaign of 2019 in which he made his first four starts over the main track, graduating at first asking in an off-the-turf state-bred maiden special weight at Saratoga before winning the Spa's Funny Cide. But the dark bay has since displayed a knack for turf, posting his next five stakes victories on grass.

Off The Hook, operated by Joe Appelbaum and Carlos Morales, bought City Man for $20,000 at the 2017 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Mixed sale and later sold him to Reeves Thoroughbred Racing for $185,000 at the 2019 OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.

Appelbaum, who also serves as president of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, spoke high volumes of the Fasig-Tipton October Sale in Saratoga.

“There's always a good residual value with those horses because people realize that even if the horse isn't a million dollar horse, they can still race it and do a pretty good job economically because of the elevated purse structure in the New York-bred program,” Appelbaum said.

Appelbaum spoke of his familiarity with Mucho Macho Man, who was campaigned by Reeves and won the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1). As an owner, Off The Hook campaigned Grade 1 winner Turbo Compressor, who finished third behind Mucho Macho Man in the 2012 Sunshine Millions Classic for Florida-breds at Gulfstream Park in a field that also included graded stakes winners Ron the Greek, Duke of Mischief and Adios Charlie.

“That was some race. Four graded stakes winners came out of that race, so we kind of knew how good he was,” Appelbaum said of Mucho Macho Man. “Even though he wasn't the most commercial of sires, we had a lot of confidence in buying a good, tall horse by Mucho Macho Man. When we had City Man, he was great. He breezed well and we sold him to Dean and Patti Reeves pretty nicely. He's worked out well–a graded stakes winner and a multiple New York-bred stakes winner, so it's great.”

Appelbaum said City Man was part of Off The Hook's first season of breeding and buying New York-breds to sell as a 2-year-olds.

“He was a good horse from the beginning. When we bought him, we only paid $20,000 for him which I thought was a pretty good value,” Appelbaum said. “He was good the whole way through. The respect we had for Mucho Macho Man led us to buy a horse that we did well with and the client did well with, while adding to the fact that the client was the one who owned Mucho Macho Man to begin with. It all came full circle.”

Off The Hook has consigned and pinhooked high-caliber performers such as 2009 Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Sprint (G1) winner and champion Informed Decision; graded stakes winner Break Water Edison; and Japanese millionaire A Shin Wezen.

“We try to sell 40 to 50 horses a year and many of which we've either bred ourselves or are homebreds of our clients,” Appelbaum said. “For a while we did a lot in the yearling market, but we do a lot less now although we do buy some. We've had a real good strike ratio with the horses we've sold. When you compare us to a lot of other places, a lot of our horses wind up being runners.”

And City Man has added his name to Off The Hook's list of premier graduates.

“He runs his rear end off every time. He's exactly what you want in a horse,” Appelbaum said. “He's been real successful at it. First, Dean Reeves is a great guy. He supports the game and he's a client of ours. We love seeing him successful. To have your opinion confirmed and have your hard work validated at the track is always gratifying.”

This year's Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Fall Sale, which features a catalogue of 235 weanlings, broodmares and broodmare prospects, is scheduled for Monday, October 17 at 10 a.m. at the Humphrey S. Finney Pavilion in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The post ‘He’s Exactly What You Want In A Horse’: New York-Bred Course Record-Setter City Man Source Of Pride For Off The Hook appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Bo Bromagen: One Of ’50 To 60′ US Agents Active At The Orby

If it's international interest Goffs want, that's exactly what they are going to get, according to Bo Bromagen, who revealed that he will be among the 50 to 60 American-based agents who will add to a power-packed buyers' bench at the Orby Sale this week.

For many of those agents, the trip will represent a maiden voyage, but not Bromagen, who has navigated these waters four times in the past and describes the Orby Sale as one of the first dates he pencils into his diary each year. 

Bromagen said, “I have been beating the drum about this sale for years. I know there is a lot of American interest and, between Irish Thoroughbred Marketing and Goffs, they have done an incredible job in promoting the Orby and recruiting buyers.

“I think there is a lot of value to be had at the Orby and, over the past few years, I found horses that really suited what I was trying to do for less money than I thought I would have to give. I feel really confident about the horses I buy and at the prices I have to buy them at.”

He added, “I don't work for ITM or Goffs but I have been telling everyone I know that you can find value at this sale. I would say there are between 50 to 60 American interests coming over this week when, in years past, there would have been about 25 or 30. I don't know if we are going to take over, because the Irish are very strong and there will be other European buyers, but we are going to make a run at it.”

The strength of the dollar at present, paired with the huge recruitment drive run by Goffs and ITM, means that familiar faces like Ben McElroy, Kenny McPeek and Justin Casse, all of whom have made a major impact at the Orby Sale in recent years, will face stiff competition from their fellow countrymen as well as the European and Middle Eastern market. 

Despite the added competition, Bromagen is confident that there will still be value on offer at Goffs this week. 

He said, “Being an international bloodstock agent gives me the opportunity to attend sales like this around the world and, let me tell you, the Orby Sale is at the top of my list every single year. 

“Obviously it depends on the clients that you have, and I know Kenny McPeek went over and spent a million dollars on a Frankel (GB) horse last year. I don't have that budget, but no matter what you are looking for, be that price, distance or pedigree, there is value at all levels. That's the beauty of the Orby Sale.”

Bromagen signed for a Gleneagles filly for €90,000 that was consigned by Eddie O'Leary's Lynn Lodge Stud at last year's sale. He revealed that the juvenile is in training with Rusty Arnold and added that the Irish method in preparing yearlings for the sales is a huge draw. 

He said, “We bought a Gleneagles (Ire) filly last year. We tried on a couple more but got out-bid. We're going to try and go a little stronger this year as a result. I love the Gleneagles. She's in training with Rusty Arnold and we're going to try and make her first start up at Keeneland. 

“The Keeneland sale has become a commercial monster. There are so many horses in that sale and the majority of them will be looking as well as they ever will in their life. They are show ready. I think at the Orby, a lot of what goes on there is just natural old school horsemanship which translates into the quality product that you see in front of you. You know what you are getting and you can feel good about it.”

On his approach to the sale, he added, “I like to see some speed in the pedigree for the horses I will be bringing back home to America because I think that translates well to our races. That's just my personal preference as, in American turf races, you need that quick-fire turn of pace towards the end of the race. When you're trying to catch up with guys like Chad [Brown], you've got to have something that can kick!”

Along with some partners, Bromagen is hoping to secure up to three yearlings this week and suggested some of the group's acquisitions could stay in training in Ireland, although discussions as to who would train for them have not been had.

He said, “We put together some money as a group and we hope to buy two or three this week. We might even leave one or two over here, re-sell as 2-year-olds or even put them in training, we haven't fully decided. 

“We'll see what shakes and I'm excited. We're looking to do some business and expand in this market. If it was up to me, I'd race everything we buy but to stay in this business, you've got to turn a profit every now and again so we'll have to see how it plays out. There are a lot of quality trainers in Ireland.”

According to Bromagen, this week marks the beginning of a busy few weeks for many of the American-based agents, who will also be in attendance at Tattersalls next week. 

He explained, “This trip has developed into something of a European tour. There's myself and a group of guys who come over and work the Orby really hard and, after that, we'll go on to France for the Arc. 

“We get to be fans of racing for these few weeks and remember what we got into this game for. A lot of guys will be heading to Tattersalls in between, and I'd certainly love to be able to go to as many sales as I can in Europe, but it's just a matter of trying to schedule them all in.”

But when it comes to the Orby, nothing will get in Bromagen's way from attending. 

“I've been to the Orby Sale four times now and, if possible, I'm going to keep coming back for the rest of my life. It's so much fun. The horses are the main thing, and you can find some real athletes at a great price, but the people in Ireland make you want to come back every year. It's a sale I put into my calender at the start of every single year and I have been looking forward to this week for such a long time.”

 

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